Adapter cap for sealed lead acid battery

Abstract

An adapter cap for a sealed lead acid battery comprises a non-conductive housing having a base perimeter adapted for flush alignment with the top surface of a battery which is dimensioned to encompass the tab terminals of the battery. Conductive material is secured to the housing and extends through a portion of the housing which is configured as a female connectors adapted for sliding engagement with the battery tab terminals to provide an electrical coupling external to the housing. A recharging jack is disposed in the housing which is electrically coupled to the portions of conductive material. The housing including an aperture therein to receive a mated component for the recharging jack, whereby the adapter cap provides a charging connection that protects the battery tabs and a recharging connection electrically coupled to the battery tabs.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application is a continuation-in-part of applicant's U.S. application Ser. No. 10 / 346,908 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,877,687 filed Jan. 17, 2003, which is a continuation-in-part of applicant's U.S. application Ser. No. 29 / 154,133 filed Jan. 18, 2002, now abandoned, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0002]This invention relates generally to sealed rechargeable lead acid batteries, and more particularly to a battery adapter cap which cooperates with a complementary housing to provide for self-aligning insertion of the battery, and which also includes an integrated recharging jack.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0003]Sealed rechargeable lead acid batteries for use in portable electrical equipment are often manufactured as compact rectangular containers having FASTON tab type terminals on the top surface. The FASTON tab terminals are electrically coupled to a device by sliding mated female connector po...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0014]The conductive material includes two strips of conductive material secured to the housing, each strip having a portion formed as a female tab connector which is positioned adjacent to the interior surface. The strips respecti

Problems solved by technology

This prior art arrangement usually required handling of the lead wires at the time of installation of the battery, and is thus not a particularly “user friendly” arrangement.

Difficulties can be encountered in this type of installation, such as the displacement of the battery causing the connectors to be pulled from the tab terminal.

Also, the tab connectors can become distended with repeated use and easily dislodged from the tab terminals.

A drawback of this arrangement is that the tab terminals can become flattened until they no longer properly aligned with the electrical contacts.

Another drawback is seen in the prior art procedure charging of the sealed lead acid battery.

This charging procedure is relatively awkward, as mishandling of the clips can lead to inadvertent contact.

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